Vets of Bush's Wars Sue the VA: 'More than Half Slipping Through the Cracks'

Vets of Bush's Wars Sue the VA: 'More than Half of Wounded Troops Slipping Through the Cracks'

alternet.org

A national class action lawsuit brought by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans went to trial on April 21. The suit, known as Veterans for Common Sense vs. Peake was brought by two veterans organizations who argue the Department of Veterans Affairs is systematically denying hundreds of thousands of wounded veterans needed medical treatment, while forcing them to wait months or even years for the disability benefits they've earned.

"We're dealing with people who are almost totally disabled; people who have lost arms, lost legs in these wars, people who have come home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or physical brain injury," explained Gordan Erspamer, an attorney with the law firm Morrison and Forrester who is handling the case pro bono. "We can't have these people waiting for months and years for the treatment they need."

According to a study released last week by the Rand Corporation, an estimated 300,000 veterans among the nearly 1.7 million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are battling depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 veterans suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury, physical brain damage which is often caused by roadside bombs.

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[edit on 22-4-2008 by grover]

As a veteran (abit of peace time service, but still) this infuriates me. You would think, at the very least the government would honor its commitments to its soldiers and vets.

bush minor makes a lot of noise about how he supports the troops but the devil is in the details.

Lest this read as a bush triade, the problem is as old as the military service in this country.

alternet.org
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reply to post by grover

This is why there should be no draft ever as long as this country is controlled by a shadow government. If our government can not afford to take care of its veterans then they should be starved of soldiers for their corporate wars. I'm sure certain corporations that profitted from the Iraq war could afford to pick up the tab for the very best private healthcare for our wounded soldiers.